2007 Constituency Review

Background

On 26 April 2007 the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government made an order to establish a Constituency Commission to review Dáil and European constituencies. The Commission was required to report to the Chairman of the Dáil by 26 October 2007.

Ireland had seen dramatic changes in population since the last review of boundaries in 2004. In three constituencies, the population had increased by over 20% between the 2002 and 2006 census: Dublin West (+26.9%), Meath East (+24.1%) and Dublin North (+21.7%). Only three constituencies recorded a fall in population over the same period: Dublin North East (-4.3%), Dun Laoghaire (-1.8%) and Dublin North Central (-1.3%).

The three seat constituency of Dublin West had the highest population per member (30,967), and the five seat constituency of Dun Laoghaire had the lowest (22,833).

The total population of the Republic of Ireland as recorded by the 2006 census was 4,239,848. The Dáil The 166 seats in the Dáil gave an average population of 25,541 per member. This was almost exactly halfway between the constitutional limits of not fewer than 20,000 and not more than 30,000 population per member across the State.

The Commission invited submissions from any interested parties. The closing date for Dáil constituencies was Tuesday 31 July 2007, and for European Constituencies was Friday 31 August 2007.

Recommendations

The Commission submitted its report to the Chairman of Dáil Éireann on 23 October 2007. The main recommendations are that Louth and Dublin West should each gain a seat, and Dun Laoghire and Limerick East should each lose a seat. While it is proposed to rename some constituencies, the total number remains at 43, largely similar to the current areas. The most significant changes affect the Kerry/Limerick and Louth/Meath areas. It is proposed to rename Limerick East as Limerick City; Limerick West as Limerick; and Kerry North as Kerry North Limerick West. In all, changes are proposed to 24 constituencies.